In June 2022, he was on the stage of the Alt Protein Summit at Future Food Tech. New York City had welcomed him with overpriced pizzas and a nice hot summer. Jose Guerrero - his partner in crime when it comes to gastronomic science - was hopping along, tense with focus. They had decided to centre their tale of the creation of a transitional smoked Hungarian sausage around the notion of making an impact on common people.
In true "what-the-heck" fashion, they charged ahead with open ironic criticism of Beyond Meat's Kim Kardashian campaign. They argued that the food of the future should not, could not be really aimed at a Hollywood-based, ultra-rich influencer, nor should associate its semantics with that kind of symbolism. They got a few giggles, maybe a dozen handshakes. No major company, either in traditional food or in alternative proteins, approached them to ask what they proposed for them to be successful in the long term.
Six months later, from Paris to Budapest, from Linkedin to Tel Aviv, the prophets of "all we need is technology" are rewiring their language. "Human" is the new sexy (as a philosophy graduate, that excites him!). Making food taste great is being recognized as an essential element in successful food transitions. Understanding familiarity and nurturing local food systems and cultures is being hailed as the real revolution.
He is happy! Happy that this is dawning on people who thought Tech (yeah, capital T) would save us because it is such a naive approach to the complexity of the Anthropocene that it's no longer even funny.
Food is not digital.
Humans are far, far away from being digital. They belong to an animal species. They are the product of tens of thousands of years of biological evolution. They make decisions that are largely based on irrational reasons. They need to have social and symbolic identification. They crave love, acceptance, and bonding. Food is not "just another part of our life" and it is unfair to compare it to any other acquired habit. Because food is an essential (literally) part of their existence, one where biology, ecology, nutrition, emotion, social habits and cultures converge. The nexus of food is the battlefield on which they can deeply influence the future of humanity.
In 2021, Thimus rebranded and he decided that "humanizing neuroscience" would be their motto. It was a clear sign of their core belief: that cultural neuroscience can lead the way in better exploring and understanding the emotional, cultural and social super-power that lies in food. Understanding these dynamics is the ground on which change will be built.
2023 will see Thimus step up to the plate. It took almost seven years of intense training to be in a unique position: they can help anyone who wants to influence future sustainable food systems by helping them dive deep into the granularity of food emotions.
The emotion of food is not just the hedonic component of eating. God forbid. It's a deeper, more nuanced affair: it is the emotional product of culture, social habits, love, and epigenetics. Thimus can venture out into such a complex galaxy with an amazing set of tools. They have started already and what they are seeing is simply amazing.
See him on the other side.
Komentar